HTC Android battery saves valet drivers life after stopping bullet fired at him

When they say "Droid Does" they really mean it, and we have yet to see a limit be put on that. We have seen devices launch into space, devices take pictures of the lunar eclipse, and now we have seen a device save someones life. From reports, it appears as though a valet driver had his HTC Incredible in his inside pocket of his jacket when shots were fired at him, but they hit his device instead. The shot hit the battery of the device, which actually prevented the shot from penetrating any further, thus saving his life. Do you think that pretty glass iPhone4 could have saved anyone's life? Just another reason why, Droid Does. Video is after the break for you all. [wsbtv via AP]

Security firm Lookout dissects the Geinimi trojan

A week or so ago we warned everyone about the Geinimi trojan that's been spotted in the wilds of the Orient. The threat level itself hasn't increased (as far as we know) if you aren't poking around Chinese Android fansites and downloading slightly questionable programs, so there's no need to ring the alarm and circle the wagons just yet. Lookout has torn down the trojan itself and gives a great overview of what it does, and how it does it. This isn't a primer to teach yourself trojan writing, it's standard practice among security firms to show how things are done and help find ways to prevent it in the future. First, here's exactly what this trojan can do:

Read and collect SMS messages

Send and delete selected SMS messages

Pull all contact information and send it to a remote server (number, name, the time they were last contacted)

Place a phone call

Silently download files

Launch a web browser with a specific URL

Yikes. Remember, this is so far a pretty isolated incident, and this isn't in any apps you can get from the Android Market. In fact, so far it looks like it's confined to "warez" files, so it mirrors what you find on the internet when downloading questionable files for your computer. Our advice -- stick to applications from someone you trust, and if you have a need to download random applications (we have to do it here all the time to check them out) find a method to scan them for malicious code.

Lookout breaks the code itself down, if your a developer or just curious be sure to have a look. It's pretty sophisticated and a shame that the developer(s) don't put their effort into something a bit more productive. Check the source link for all the details, including a .pdf file with a complete code breakdown. [Lookout] Thanks Cerena!

Verizon Wireless to expand LTE to more than 140 markets in 2011

Yesterday 4G LTE was all over the place at the Verizon press conference, many new devices, which is awesome, but how awesome is it without network expansion to allow these to run. Verizon has announced that they are expanding their network across the country, from Alabama to Wisconsin, including various areas of Florida, one specific area being Pensacola. [hooray for Phil!] In addition to Pensacola they will be expanding to Tallahassee, Gainesville, Lakeland-Winter Haven and Sarasota/Bradenton for you Florida folks, and generally blanketing US metro areas one by one.

Hit the break for a list of cities that will be covered before the end of 2011, and the latest Verizon Wireless press release. [Verizon]

LG G-Slate shows up at the FCC

Although LG and T-Mobile have given us an early preview of the G-Slate at CES 2011, it still has to pass on through the FCC before we ever get to see it put to market. The above image appears to be the G-Slates FCC filing. As we know, it'll be able to run on T-Mobile's AWS frequency and will be loaded up with Honeycomb goodness. Hopefully, it now being in the FCC hands means we'll not have to wait all that long to put it in ours. [Engadget]

What you may have missed from CES 2011 so far

If you haven't noticed from the homepage already there certainly isn't a lack of Android related news coming from this years CES event. While Phil and Dieter have been splitting the press events, Cory and myself have scoured the floor looking for all things Android while the team continues to deliver all the great news to you. We all know there has been a lot, and you probably missed some of it, so lets take a look back at some of what we have brought you, and if you are looking for an easy way to keep track of all the news, or want to go back and read it again, click here.

Samsung getting into the Google TV game

Samsung has announced that they are working up two new Google TV devices -- a set top companion box, and a Blu-ray player to compliment their smart TV offerings. Samsung has embraced Android and Google in a big way with their Galaxy S line, and seeing them start work on Google TV devices is great news. Once the content agreements are worked out, a big push from Samsung could make Google TV the "next big thing". Many of us (myself included) want to embrace Google TV, but don't have the desire to be the early adopter. This will help push the platform forward in a big way.

We're on the floor at CES, and will try to get some more info and maybe even a demo. Press release after the jump. [Google TV blog, Samsung]

Hands-on with the Motorola XT800+

Here's another gem that's not coming anywhere near the United States. The Motorola XT800+ features a custom UI atop Android 2.2.1 -- and dual SIM cards. So you can use one for voice and one for data. It's got a stylish leather backing, and gold-plated accents, a 1GHz processor and 5MP camera.

Moto Backflip, Xperia X10 reaching end-of-life soon on AT&T

A tipster just sent this one in, it's a list of devices reaching end-of-life soon on AT&T, and the Motorola Backflip and Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 are on it. Looks like the Backflip's last day is Feb 2, and the X10 says goodbye on March 6. This doesn't mean that your phone will stop working, or that someone at AT&T won't be able to help you if you hit any technical snags, it just means that they won't be pushing to sell them, and no more new stock will arrive.

On the bright side, AT&T recommends the Flipout and the Captivate as suitable replacements, so they are with us for a while longer. Personally, I say hold off and wait for one of the new AT&T Androids that we've seen this week at CES, or roll with the Xperia Arc as the perfect replacement for the X10 (or any phone for that matter!) -- go big! [sent in via the Android Central app] Thanks tipster!

Hands-on with the Sharp Galapagos -- 3D-like screen on a smartphone?!?

A 3D touchscreen on a smartphone? Oh, why not. They're putting it on everything else these days. So that's what's been done with the Sharp Galapogos. It's an Android 2.2 device with a 3.8-inch touchscreen and what's being called "Naked Eye 3D."

With the press of a button, the home screen changes to a 3D-like feel, without the need of those glasses. It's an interesting parlor trick, but not something we'd want to really use, most likely.

Hands-on with the Motorola XT806LX

One of the cool things about CES is getting to play with phones that will otherwise never see the light of day in the U.S. And one of those phones is the Motorola XT806LX. It's a Chinese device, rocking a custom version of Android.

But what's really cool is that it sports two touchscreens, one atop the other. The top screen is capacitive, and lets you use the phone just like any other Android smartphone. The screen on the bottom is resistive, and you use a stylus with it. That's to help with the Chinese characters. Toss in a TV antenna and a bunch of Swarovski crystals (20 or so), and you've got a stylish and functional device.

HTC Thunderbolt boot animation, and a little surprise under the hood

A few of you have asked to see the boot animation on the HTC Thunderbolt, so here it is. But it's what's inside the phone when you open the battery cover that was a cool little surprise.

The motor that makes the phone vibrate is exposed. You can actually touch it if you want. Of course that's done on purpose, but it's part of a larger design trend, HTC told us. In every HTC phone, you're going to have see some of the hardware exposed. It's a pretty cool feature, and it's not going away anytime soon.

A 9.7-inch Froyo tablet from Polaroid behaves just how you think it should

Picked up a 9.7-inch Android 2.2 tablet from Polaroid (yes, that Polaroid). Spec-wise, it doesn't seem that bad. Cortex A8 processor at 1GHz, 4GB of ROM, 2MP camera, 6800mAh battery. And all the usual bells and whistles. What's it like in actuality? Check out the video after the break.

Android cooler gets made -- we want one at our next party [video]

This week has been all about new phones, new services, and new rumors. CES 2011 has definitely put us in a whirlwind, there's no doubt about it. So, we thought we'd cool things down a bit and show you this kick-ass video of a four foot Android cooler being made. No seriously! It's a cooler to put your drinks in. And we gotta say, the end result is pretty awesome. Click on after the break to see how the cooler was made. Thanks Tony for sharing your project. [YouTube]

Former Sony Ericsson VP is HTC's New COO

The past year has been pretty crazy for HTC. It saw the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer go from a virtual unknown to dominance of the Android world with phones like the Droid Incredible and EVO 4G in America, and the HTC Desire series in Europe and Asia. With a year of big releases ahead, including a bevy of new 4G phones and a rumored tablet, HTC has appointed Matthew Costello as its new Chief Operating Officer. Costello previously served as Sony Ericsson's VP of Global Operations.

Costello will be based in Taiwan and be responsible for all operations at HTC including manufacturing, supply chain, sourcing, customer service and technology infrastructure. He will work closely with HTC’s customers and suppliers to ensure the continuous evolution of HTC’s integrated supply chain. Costello will report to Fred Liu, who has been promoted to President of Engineering, Operations and Sales.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc hands-on

Say what you will about Sony Ericsson -- and we've said plenty -- but damned if they don't know how to make phones. All problems aside with the previous Xperia phones running outdated versions of Android, the new Xperia Arc combines just the thinnest smartphone we've seen -- 8.7 millimeters -- with a 4.2-inch touchscreen and Android 2.3. Spec-wise, this is no slouch.

But this is SE we're talking about. And when we hear that it's running the Timescape user interface, we flinch. But we were very pleasantly surprised to find zero lag on the Arc, in stark contrast to the Xperia X10 we demoed here at CES a year ago.

We need to put this thing through its proper paces. But the camera is supposed to be great, and the hardware feels to be top-notch. We'll see, folks, we'll see.

Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by the Android Open Source Project
and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 2.5 Attribution License. AndroidCentral is an independent site
that is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.